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Mephisto
'' "'Rise Diablo, Lord of Terror!" ''-''Mephisto to Diablo '''Dul'Mephistos, the Lord of Hatred, commonly referred to as Mephisto, is the eldest of the three Prime Evils, and is the closest thing that demonkind has to a unifying leader. He is the most intelligent, strategic and analytical of the Three (although he is the weakest of them in-game). He was also the only known Prime Evil to have had children until Leah appeared, being the father of Lucion and Lilith. However, he is the only Prime Evil known to have fathered demon offspring, as Leah's mother was a human. Personality Mephisto is also considered the most intensely evil of the brothers. So overwhelming is his evil that his malevolent influence can bring the dead back to life; these zombified beasts are filled with such anger for the living that not even a second death can quench their desire to inflict pain and suffering. Mephisto fosters hatred in everything he comes across, and delights in pitting his underlings, and even his brothers, against each other. His dominion in Hell, the Realm of Hatred, is often thought of as the capital, because it is filled with countless factions of intelligent demons locked in a dangerous, byzantine game of infernal politics. Mephisto's cunning and tactical acumen comes from the careful observation of his subjects and their hate-fueled interactions, and he uses the results of his studies to great effect against mortal populations. Over the years, after having ensorcelled the Zakarum, he used his newfound power to bring the lands of Sanctuary under his heel through the martial power of warped Paladins, and sent the Zakarum deep into Westmarch, where his unwitting servant, King Leoric, would take over Tristram. Etymology "Mephisto" is a variation of the name Mephistopheles, the devil figure in the Faust legend, often used an alternative name for Satan or Lucifer. The name may be derived from a Greek phrase meaning "not a lover of light". Biography The Sin War Mephisto, at some point, became aware that his daughter, Lilith, had formed an alliance with the Angel Inarius and that their union had resulted in the creation of Sanctuary and the Nephalem. Mephisto and the other Prime Evils decided that, rather than turn Sanctuary into another battleground, they would infiltrate the new world and subvert the powers of the Nephalem for their own ends, hoping that they would tip the scales in Hell's favor. To this end, Mephisto sent his son, Lucion, to Sanctuary to found the Triune church to recruit followers for the Prime Evils. After the Angels became aware of Sanctuary and battled the forces of the Burning Hells for control, the Nephalem and the Edyrem fought both sides to a standstill. Mephisto then met with the Angiris Council, and offered a truce, allowing the High Heavens and the Burning Hells an equal chance at humanity's souls, in exchange for Inarius. The Dark Exile and the Corruption of the Zakarum Some time later, the four Lesser Evils - Azmodan, Belial, Duriel and Mephisto's (presumed) own granddaughter Andariel - rose up in rebellion and forced the Prime Evils out of Hell in what came to be known as the Dark Exile. In response to the most evil of beings walking Sanctuary, the Archangel Tyrael rallied several of the disparate mage-clans into an alliance known as the Horadrim, and gave them the Soulstones to bind the Three forever. Mephisto was the first Prime Evil to be captured, and his stone was buried in a vault beneath the Temple of Light in Kurast. A third of the Horadrim stayed to guard this tomb until the remaining two Brothers were captured. Though the cost was high, all of the Three were eventually captured. right|thumb|Mephisto in the D2 cinematic Mephisto finally managed to overcome the powers of the imprisoning Soulstone enough to influence and corrupt the local priesthood, known as the Zakarum. The demon then had the High Council work spells to shatter the Soulstone into seven shards, breaking the mystic seal and freeing the Lord of Hatred. Mephisto drove the six smaller shards into the left palms of six High Council members, who were then charged with bringing him nourishment in the form of human sacrifices while running their temple. The largest stone pierced the hand of the Que-Hegan Sankekur, the highest divine authority of the Zakarum faith. It was this body that the demon used as his manifestation on the mortal plane, warping the mortal’s form into an approximation of his true visage. For years, the corrupted religious leaders of the Zakarum kept Mephisto supplied with information and misguided followers to carry out his plans of conquest. He eventually met up with Diablo and the freshly-liberated Baal, and the Three renewed their plan to corrupt humanity. However, Mephisto was later killed by the same adventurers that would go on to kill his brothers. Mephisto's Soulstone was destroyed in the Hellforge after his defeat, ensuring his banishment from Sanctuary. Physical Appearance While Mephisto has yet to appear in-game in his true form, it is seen as a picture in the Book of Cain. Here he's shown to be skeletal and emaciated, with great ram-like horns jutting from his skull-like head and having four arms. He lacks flesh below his ribcage and possesses no legs, only a long, bony tail. As such he's always levitating. When encountered by the heroes who slew him, Mephisto's physical form (Sankekur's altered and corrupted body) was little more than a decomposing human torso, arms and head in a misty white cloud, sprouting four fleshy "tentacles" from his back, with two horns growing straight upwards from his skull. He completely lacked a nose but the rest of his face still resembled Sankekur's. It is possible that his relatively human appearance was a result of him having only recently taken the Que-Hegan as a host. He utilizes a blue energy, possibly connected to his blue Soulstone, in concordance with his brothers to open the Infernal Gate. Powers and Abilities Mephisto's evil is so great that his hatred causes the dead themselves to rise from their graves: this is why he is considered lord of the Undead. He has been encountered only a handful of times by mortals who lived to tell the tale, so it's difficult to know what his powers and abilities are and how far they stretch. He appears to favor lightning over other elements, but this does not stop him from using cold, fire, magic or poison in combat. In terms of "political" power, he seems to have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the Burning Hells, as he brokered the agreement between Heaven and Hell that allowed Sanctuary's continued existence. It is not clear whether he can overrule his brothers, or if they simply let him represent them, but Deckard Cain notes that Mephisto pits every creature in hell, including his brothers, against each other, so their complicity in his plans is probably a moot point. Auriel It is speculated that Mephisto and the Archangel Auriel may have once been lovers. "'We, like you, made false assumptions about this place, false assumptions about the creatures spawned by both our kind.' A blazing red eye materialized, then winked in the direction of Auriel, who utterly ignored it." -Mephisto, pg 332 of The Veiled Prophet Also, when the Kiss of Mephisto (used to resurrect the Morlu), it is said that it was named 'Kiss of Mephisto' because it was originally a gift for someone else, other than Lucion. "Turning his eyes back to the cataclysmic sight below, Lord Lucion gestured toward the very center, where the worst of the carnage had and was still taking place. In the midst of everything, a black gemstone nearly as large as a man sat embedded in a triangular column of red-streaked marble. “Blood marble,” it was named, naturally. The stone was called by Malic’s master the Kiss of Mephisto, although the cleric had, from past comments, reason to believe that it had once been named for another of whom Lord Lucion would not speak." -Birthright Taking Mephisto's flirtatious attitude towards Auriel into account, some have suggested that the Kiss of Mephisto might have been intended for Auriel, although as can be seen above, there is nothing to suggest the identity of the person Lucion didn't wish to speak of. Mephisto's lecherous behavior simply might be a reference to her position as the only female on the Council. The Kiss could have been made for Lucion's mother, who given his attitude, might have been as nearly as treacherous as his sister. Tips and Other Additional Information Mephisto can be found on the third level of the Durance of Hate. However, before you can get to him you still have to battle a score of Bloodlords and additional Council Member bosses. You can get to Mephisto either by taking the left or the right way around the pool of blood; both rooms contain a Unique Council Member boss. Mephisto has a range of abilities he will use against the player: several Lightning (damage) based skills such as and Charged Bolt, a Poison Nova spell and several Cold based skills like Frost Nova. Apart from these abilities, Mephisto has an extremely powerful missile attack that looks like a blazing white orb (referred to as a 'Skull missile' by Blizzard) that can kill most Mercenary units or minions and take away an enormous chunk out of the player's health. Therefore, it is best to stay close to Mephisto. His melee damage isn't very high, though your health can drop steadily if Mephisto combines his Poison Nova and Frost Nova skills. Having enough Cold Resistance and Lightning Resistance once again limits the damage done. It might also be a good idea to battle Mephisto in one of the rooms on the left or right in order to avoid a trap: in the backroom where Mephisto stands there are restless spirits that sometimes rise up and lash out at players who are in range. These spirits can be killed, but it's very hard to hit them and the experience reward is small and the loot nonexistent, therefore, it's best to avoid them. "Adventurers fighting in the Durance of Hate may have spotted strange, ghost-like creatures. These "Evil Forces" guard Mephisto and the Infernal gate to the Pandemonium Fortress. Evil Forces can attack and kill those who dare to stick around after Mephisto's demise. The most skilled and tenacious warriors might be able to kill an Evil Force, however, they will discover that the reward is not worth the effort. Some speculate that Evil Forces have some other purpose such as to reveal the way to a hidden world. However, they are simply mindless pawns of Mephisto, like many of the people of Kurast." - Deckard Cain The easiest method to defeat Mephisto is to first draw Mephisto's attention by approaching him very slowly, then retreating to the central room that is separated from Mephisto by the pool of blood. Even though he should be perfectly capable of gliding past the pool the same way the player did, his AI, which forces him to only move in the direct direction of the player's position, does not allow him to do this. Mephisto can be defeated eventually with either ranged weapons or missile or area-of-effect spells, and the player can do this with hardly any fear of death as long as he or she stays far enough from him so that he cannot cast spells at the player, although mercenaries and summoned minions may approach too near and be blasted with his magic within seconds. Just be careful not to approach Mephisto too much by any mistake. When Mephisto dies, a volcano erupts from his body; it doesn't do any damage, however. Now that Mephisto is dead, you can search his room for stashes of gold. Note that he also dropped his Soulstone: this item is needed in a quest in Act IV. If you don't pick it up, Deckard Cain will give it to you later. Walk towards the portal, and a bridge made of bones and skulls should rise from the pool of blood. Cross the small bridge and enter the Infernal Gate to complete Act III. Quotes *''"You're too late! laughs" (upon approaching Mephisto) *"My brothers have escaped you!"'' (upon approaching Mephisto) *''"My brothers, at long last we stand reunited. The Infernal Gate has been prepared, and the time of our final victory is at hand. Let the way to Hell be opened!"'' (cinematic) *''"And the Evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man, shall he walk amongst the innocent, and Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth. The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!" (cinematic) *"The Gate stands ready!" (cinematic) *"Now my young brother, the time has come to assume your true form! Arise Diablo, Lord of Terror!" (cinematic) *"You are the harbinger of our return, Diablo! Send forth your Terror into Hell!''" (cinematic) Gallery File:Mephisto Diablo2.jpg|Mephisto render File:Mephisto.gif|Mephisto in-game mephisto-lord-of-hatred.jpg|Mephisto in the Book of Cain Video Diablo II Act IV cinematic hke-HL87S6c&fmt=18 de:Mephisto Category:Prime Evils Category:Demons Category:Monsters Category:Boss Category:Diablo II Bestiary Category:Diablo II